Curb appeal: Untouched yard cries out for landscaping

Infusion of plants will help break up big, green lawn

A new central walkway will merge into a slimmer secondary path leading to the driveway. Rows of boxwood on each side will introduce timeless elegance.

Photograph by: Suzanne Rowe
, The Gazette

Although this lush lawn is worthy of a golf course, this barren landscape needs an injection of natural elements and a boost of colours.

The roof, with its various tints of green, is quite recent. The dark brown doors, windows and shutters look harsh upon the white stucco wall. The eventual cosmetic work on the facade will be relatively minimal.

If possible, I would love to see the top of the windows and the shutters squared off. All the doors and the windows should be a dark green inspired by the tones of the shingles. The white lattices behind the glass didn’t match the old colour nor does it match our new choice. If they aren’t permanently inserted between the two glasses, they could be removed or painted dark green. In the eventuality that they are sandwiched for life, except for the doors, all the windows should be white. The shutters will adorn a lighter version of green in semi-gloss.

New and bolder glass light fixtures ought to replace the shy ones. The metal trims around these should be of the same finish as the door handle.

Generous, made-to-measure flower boxes will be built as wide as the shutters and window combined. They will be secured under the wood panelling and deep enough without touching the ground. Painted or stained opaque dark green, they will play host to drought tolerant white annuals.

A new, wide, central walkway will merge into a slimmer secondary path leading to the driveway.

Rows of boxwood on each side will introduce timeless elegance to the home. A strip of lawn 50-cm wide will be removed to accommodate these persistent leaf shrubs.

On the outer edge of the smaller walk, near the foundation on the right and all along the boxwood hedges; another 45-cm ribbon of turf will also have to be uprooted to welcome a line of flowering perennials. These borders will charm you with their relentless pink blooms and their green to burgundy altering foliage. They will even keep their looks all winter. In the corners of the quarter round flower beds, a couple of miniature lilac trees will gracefully enhance the entry. At their feet, a white carpet of perennial ground cover will co-exist with a few randomly placed Zebra irises. With their upward blade of light green and cream stripes, they will gladly ornate even after the watery purple blossoms end. These beauties will perform better if the ground is not too dense. If it is, work it while adding good garden soil to lighten the consistency.

Dividers are needed between the grass and the new pink perennial borders. So that the clean lines of these don’t become altered, another divider will be needed between the geraniums’ edge and the white lamium ground cover.

On the left of the lot, I’ve added a graceful weeping conifer. On the right side, not seen on the photo, is a white flowering Malus tree. For an interesting and massive visual impact, I suggest to include two more of the same variety. Plant in a triangular formation while respecting the required spacing between them. Evergreen shrubs on the left and right side of the house will help frame its large white surface.

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